In the fifth edition of the women’s U23 Pan American Volleyball Cup, held at the Sonora Arena in Hermosillo, Mexico, Cuba suffered a 0-3 defeat against Canada, resulting in a sixth-place finish. The Dominican Republic and Mexico, both undefeated teams, will compete for the title.
The match saw Cuba conceding with scores of 18-25, 9-25, and 20-25, lasting just an hour and 10 minutes. Canada’s collective attack, blocking, and service, led by standout performer Kaylee Plouffe, proved to be dominant.
Kaylee emerged as the top scorer with 13 points, 11 from attacks and two from blocks, while Claudia Tarin held the best scorer title for the Antilles with seven points (7-0-0). Canada showcased their superiority with 33 points in attack, compared to Cuba’s 22, and also excelled in blocking (11-3) and service (9-0). The teams had an equal number of errors (22-22).
This loss marks Cuba’s second defeat against Canada, as the northern team had previously defeated them 3-1 during the group phase for the A (25-18, 24-26, 25-19, and 26-24). Cuba finished third in the group with one win and two losses, while the Caribbean team secured the fourth and final position (0-3).
Additionally, Honduras secured seventh place with a 3-2 victory against Costa Rica (13-25, 25-18, 25-23, 19-25, and 15-13). Tonight’s matches will continue with the bronze medal showdown between Argentina and Peru, followed by the gold medal match between defending champions Dominican Republic and Mexico, both undefeated.
The Pan American Volleyball Cup offers two direct berths to the 2025 Pan American Junior Games for the top two teams from North, Central America, and the Caribbean (NORCECA), while the South American Volleyball Confederation will establish its own qualification system.
Since the Cup’s creation in 2012, the Dominican Republic has consistently dominated the event, securing victories in all editions. Meanwhile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru each hold one silver medal, and Cuba has collected three bronze medals, with Argentina also having one to their name. The Dominican Republic took the top spot in 2018, followed by Peru and Cuba.
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